Digital Advertising by Design

Profile: Adam Sugihto

Why it takes an Engineer to do a Marketer’s job

In 1997, this Agency Director graduated with an Honours degree in Communication … Engineering.

That’s right!

Engineering.

Find out what business this Engineer has running an Ad Agency …

3 reasons why Marketing is now an Engineering job:

Marketers now need to think like Engineers. Every online channel – Google, Facebook, you name it – is now based on algorithms built by engineers. To maximise these channels, marketers need to understand these algorithms which means they need to think like an Engineer thinks.

Marketers now need to analyse like Engineers. Marketers now live in a world of too much data – which marketing initiative caused which change in customer behaviour? To be able to wade through mountains of analytics for actionable data, Marketers now need the ability to analyse complex systems for cause and effect just like Engineers.

Marketers now need to create like Engineers. Businesses today face a big problem – how to increase sales in an increasingly competitive global marketplace where our target consumers are interacting with brands online & offline, across channels and across devices? To create marketing solutions that solve this business problem, marketers now need to be able to break down these big problems into smaller, solvable problems just like Engineers.

But wait! I have a right brain too…

My first job after graduating was as a Graphical User Interface Designer for Ericsson Australia. While most of the water cooler conversations at work were around code, my fascination was that my work had a direct influence on the end customer’s user experience.

This started me down the path of not just website design and UX, but marketing psychology, persuasion and influence.

My life was forever changed when I started my first WordPress blog way back in 2005. Not long after I spent some time in the slums of Bangkok, Thailand pursuing and blogging about a personal interest, Microfinance.

That blog was my first foray into Search Engine Optimisation but more importantly was the ‘aha’ moment that I had found my calling.

I quit my job and took a leap of faith to concentrate 100% on digital marketing.

Over the years, through my agency I’ve been able to advertise online for global corporates in markets such as Prague, Paris, Tokyo, London, Shanghai, San Jose, Seoul, Barcelona, Bangkok, New York and LA; as well as work with household Aussie name brands and passionate solo freelancers to grow their reach in the domestic market.

I’m across every online marketing discipline – from Search Engine Optimisation, Analytics and Digital Strategy to Direct Response Copywriting, Creative Art Directing & Account Management and have built up a network of graphic designers, video production houses, web developers and analytics agencies to handle almost any job.

My hope is that if what I write about in this blog resonates with you, then maybe we can work together to make Marketing That Matters.